By Bill Parry
When Capt. John Travaglia took command of the 108th Precinct in December, he began to review the squad’s unsolved crimes. The October 2012 murder of Lou Rispoli, a prominent gay activist from Woodside, stood out.
“I know it is solvable,” Travaglia said. “There are multiple people who observed the assault of Mr. Rispoli. They know exactly who assaulted Mr. Rispoli. They are out there and they are findable. I know it.”
The 62-year-old Rispoli went out for a late night walk on Oct. 20, 2012. A witness told investigators that Rispoli was struck in the back of the head with an unknown object after leaving a light-colored sports car with three other white men in their 20s at the corner of 41st Street and 43rd Avenue in Sunnyside, 10 blocks from his home.
Residents in the apartments at 41-00 43rd St. said the noise of the impact was so hard it sounded like a gunshot. Rispoli died five days later.
The NYPD said the vehicle in question was a late-model sports car with extra bright lights and a loud muffler. There was no video of the attack, but the NYPD released sketches of two of the three attackers based on witnesses descriptions.
There have been no arrests and the case is not closed.
“I am looking to make people aware that we are still interested in this case,” Travaglia said, adding that anyone with information should call 1-800-577-TIPS.
Mark Horn, a spokesman for Rispoli’s husband, Danyal Lawson, said, “I’m glad he’s interested in finding these people and I hope something comes of it. People have been out there trying to get these people to come forward with information. Of course, there is still a $25,000 reward and that could generate some interest, too.”
Meanwhile, two police officers from the 108th Precinct were honored last week at City Hall for saving the life of a LaGuardia Community College professor in December. Bruce Brooks, a professor of art and design, had just finished his final classes after a 40-year career, when he collapsed and hit the pavement outside the Long Island City campus.
Officer William Caldarera and his partner, Officer Corey Sarro, were conducting a routine patrol past the school when they spotted a crowd that had gathered around the 66-year-old Brooks. He had suffered a major heart attack and was lying motionless on the ground. Caldarera was the first to reach the professor and found that there was no pulse nor was Brooks breathing. Sarro began administering chest compressions and a public safety officer provided a defibrillator.
After two shocks from the machine, Brooks’ pulse returned and he began to breathe on his own.
Brooks has been in recovery since undergoing a triple bypass operation the day after Christmas and was planning to attend the 108th Precinct Council meeting in Sunnyside Tuesday, but it was canceled because of the snowstorm.
“I was going to meet the two officers at the meeting and present them with two plaques I had made for them after they brought me back from the brink,” Brooks said. “If they don’t reschedule the meeting, I’ll just try to meet them at the station house and thank them for what they did.”
Mayor Bill de Blasio and City Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer honored Officers Caldarera and Sarro with proclamations at the City Hall ceremony Jan. 22. “I could not be any prouder of these two officers,” Travaglia said. “They are not my officers, I just supervise them. They are your police and they are just two of the many officers that perform extraordinary acts everyday in New York City.”
